The present invention relates to an absorption structure of a container device provided in an instrument panel, for absorbing energy or force applied from knees of an occupant.
Generally in a vehicle such as an automobile, an instrument panel is provided at front of a vehicle interior. As shown in FIG. 1, the instrument panel 101 is provided with a container device 102 for the instrument panel 101 such as a glove box. The container device 102 includes a container device body 103, and a lid portion (lid body) 105 attached openably and closeably to an opening of the container device body 103. The lid portion 105 is normally structured by a lid outer member 106 and a lid inner member 107 (for reference, see JP2001-301531A).
Recently, it has been considered and studied to arrange an energy absorbing knee protector 108 to a region of the lid portion 105 in the container body 102 to which knees of an occupant approach, in order to protect the occupant's knees in a case of an emergency.
Such an energy absorbing knee protector 108 is structured by a plurality of steel plates 109, 110 and 111 for receiving energy (or force) applied from the knees of the occupant (hereinafter referred to as knee input energy), a steel bar-like member 112 fixed to upper and lower edges of the steel plates 109, 110 and 111 for increased strength and rigidity, and so on for example. The energy absorbing knee protector 108 is, for example, disposed substantially along a back surface of the lid outer member 106.
When the knees of the occupant approach the lid portion 105 in the emergency, the energy absorbing knee protector 108 provided substantially along the back surface of the lid outer member 106 receives the knee input energy and thereafter, deforms to optimally absorb the knee input energy. Thereby, the knees of the occupant are protected from damage.
However, in recent years, a side-locking mechanism as a locking device of the lid portion 105 has been increasingly employed in the container device 102 for the instrument panel 101 such as the glove box, which has advantage in expansion of storage capacity of the container device 102 as compared with an ordinary center-locking mechanism. The side-locking mechanism has rod portions which extend toward each side of the vehicle in a vehicle-width direction from a locking mechanism portion. In other words, the side-locking mechanism is provided throughout the entire area in the container device 102 relative to the lid portion 105 in the vehicle-width direction.
Therefore, in the conventional energy absorption structure of the container device 102 for the instrument panel 101 for absorbing the knee input energy, there has been a problem that the side-locking mechanism is disposed highly likely in the region of the lid portion 105 to which the knees of the occupant approach, and thus causing difficulty in designing of the energy absorbing knee protector as well as in mounting of the energy absorbing knee protector 108 and the side-locking mechanism, in a case where the side-locking mechanism is employed.
In addition, the steel bar-like member 112 of the energy absorbing knee protector 108 fixed to the upper and lower edges of the steel plates 109, 110 and 111 for increased strength and rigidity incurs increase in weight. Therefore, there has been also a problem that an operation feeling is worsened due to increased opening speed of the lid portion 105 and increased force required to close the lid portion 105 by the increased weight.